Do you want to chat with a missionary?

Hi I'm Matt

I grew up in upstate New York. I work as a special education teacher in New York City. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

Copy and Share

I love to travel. I was born and raised in upstate New York. I went to college in Utah. I served a mission in California. I did humanitarian work in Mexico. I did my student teaching in Washington, D.C. I went to graduate school in New York City. I currently live and work in Manhattan. I am married to a beautiful Black LDS woman from North Carolina who decided to go to college in New York City as well (fortunately for me). I speak Spanish. I am obsessed with reading. My favorite author is Mark Twain, but my favorite book is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I enjoy going to Broadway shows, especially musicals. My favorite musical so far has been Billy Elliot. I enjoy sports. I played football and ice hockey in high school. I am a fan of the Mets, the Jets, and the New York Rangers. I enjoy watching horse racing and have made several trips to the racetrack in Saratoga. I love to study world history and I have a goal to learn about all of the sovereign nations in the world in alphabetical order (currently in the middle of the Bs). I enjoy going to museums so living in New York City has been a blessing. I went to an art school while growing up, and I like to visit new exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. However, my favorite museum is the American Museum of Natural History. My favorite thing to do is teach, which is why I am a special education teacher of elementary school children.

Why I am a Mormon

Copy and Share

I am a Mormon because I have received confirmation from God, through the Holy Ghost, that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the Book of Mormon is veritable scripture. Epistemologically speaking that is the only way to honestly believe in these foundational elements of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The archeological, anthropological, and historical records have yet to yield any concrete evidence clearly supporting any of the Church's claims, and I doubt they ever will. That doesn't worry me though, because I have had authentic personal religious experiences and they did not rely tradition, imitation, or habit. They were wholly and completely my own, and I unabashedly embrace them. I encourage everyone to honestly search Truth out for themselves by the appropriate epistemological method and ask God to confirm it. Just like I would never look to the writers of the Bible or Book of Mormon to learn about science, I would also never look to Nobel Prize winning scientists to learn about God. Secular empiricism has its limits.

How I live my faith

Copy and Share

I serve as a temple worker in the Manhattan Temple. I am working as primary teacher with 5 and 6-year olds at our local ward. Because I am a professional special education teacher, I focus my attention on a boy that has autism.

Since a new star first appeared above Bethlehem, Christmas has been a season of light, reminding us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Together, we can celebrate His birth by making the world a brighter place.